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5 Shets-Sheet 1.

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V. MEHAY.

APPARATUS FOR OPENING nouns.

Patented Feb. 3,1891.

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VLMEHAY. APPARATUS FOR OPENING DOORS.

No. 445,614. Patented Feb. 3,1891.

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No. 445,614. 7 Patented Feb. '3, 1891.

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V. MEHAY.

APPARATUS FOR OPENING DOORS.

No. 445,614. Patented Feb. 3,1891.

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V. MEHAY. APPARATUS FOR OPENING noons.

No. 446,614. Patented Peb.3,1891.

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Invento r Viblfor' flha/ 7 Lt nadir-Hau mines s as UNITED STATES PATENTOFFIGEJ VICTOR MEHAY, or BRUSSELS, BELGIUM.

APPARATUS FOR OPENING DOORS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 445,614, dated February3, 1891.

Application filed July 14, 1888. Serial No. 279,982. (No model.)Patented in Belgium February 8, 1888, No. 80,576, and in EnglandFebruary 25, 1888, No, 2,843.

To all whom it may concern:

Be itknownthat I, Vroron MEHAY, a citizen of the French Republic,residing in Brussels, in the Kingdom of Belgium, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Apparatus for the Instantaneous Openingof Doors and IVindows, (for which I have obtained Letters Patent inEngland, No. 2,843, dated February 25, 1888, and in Belgium, No. 80,576,dated February 8, 1888,) of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to improved means to facilitate the exitof a numerous public in buildings, such as theaters and the like; andits object is to effect instantaneously the opening of the doors andwindows of a building from the inside toward the outside and giving thegreatest possible passage room.

This invention consists, essentially, in constructing the doors andwindows with movable frames maintained in position by a system offastenings which can be instantaneously nnfastened from a distance andact upon a great number of frames simultaneously. r

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents in elevation theapplication of the invention to folding doors, seen from the interior ofthe building and bolted and barred. Fig. 2 is a plan of Fig. 1. Fig. 3represents the application of the invention to a windowframe with one.or two leaves opening toward the inside. Fig. l is a plan of Fig. 3.Figs. 5 and (5 represent in elevation and plan the application of theinvention to a single-leaf door and frame of a box of a theater. Figs.'7 and 8 represent in elevation and plan the application of theinvention to double folding doors and frame of a box of atheater. Figs.9 and 10 are detail views of the hereinafterdescribed bolt. Fig. 11 is adouble-grooved pulley, described hereinafter, to actuate several boltssimultaneously. Fig. 12 is adetail of bolt for use in connection withsliding doors and frames. Fig. 13 represents a series of windowsprovided with my invention and connected to be operated from a centralstation.

The same letters of reference in the diflerent figures represent thesame parts.

only is used under ordinary circumstances for entrance and exit.

The frame 0, which constitutes the frame for the doors proper F G, ishinged to the wall by the outer hinges I, and the doors proper arehinged to the outer frame 0" at 2'. At a given moment the doors propercan swing outward with the outer frame together on the hinges I. Avertical bolt J, sliding in a socket, is fixed to the frame 0'. Thisbolt, which maybe placed at any desired height, is formed with a recessj, in which engages the end of a horizontal bolt K, secured, forinstance, to the wall and attached to the armature of an electro-mag'net(not shown) or to a cord or wire Z, actuated by a bell-crank lever Z.The plate of this bolt Kis provided with a socket 7.5, into which entersthe vertical bolt J. By the passage of an electric current or by pullinga cord from a certain point by means of the bell-crank lever and thepulley 7; (details which every mechanic understands) the end of thehorizontal bolt K is withdrawn from the recess j of the bolt J, and thelatter falls by its own weight. It is then only necessary to push thedoor or window to turn the outer frame C on its hinges I, forming thus alarge exit for the public. The door or window, together with the outerframe G, swings outward, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4C, and can be evenquite swung back against the outer wall. The outer frame 0 can be thecasing in brick-work or stone of the door or window, or may be a specialcasing of wood. To replace the door or window in its original fastenedposition, the bolt J is lifted by hand and fixed by again engaging theend of the bolt K in the recess j.

It can be seen from Figs. 1, 3, 7, and 13 that the pulleys k, which areconnected by a cord or wire to the bolt K, may be connected to eachother by a continuous metallic or other cord, thus forming a system ofcatch-actuating devices, by which means several bolts can be actuatedsimultaneously from a central station, as K, Fig. 13. Fig. 11 representsthe manner in which for this purpose a double grooved pulley may bearranged above each door or window. The continuous cord which actuatesthe pulleys passes round one of the grooves of the latter, and at apoint of the second groove of each pulley is fixed the end of the cordZ, which actuates the bolt. In this manner thebolts K of a wholebuilding or of several doors and windows can be actuated simultaneouslyfrom one or more points of a. building. The doors or windows, which maybe locked, barred, and bolted, are thus secured until an imperiousmotive presents itself for permitting the opening thereof, and in thatcase folding doors and two-leaf windows act as single-leaf ones, and thewhole bay of the door or window will be available as exit. To betterindicate these exits suitable springs may be applied to the movableframes to open them wholly or partially as soon as the frames are freed.

Doors in the interior of buildingssuch as the doors of boxes in theaters(see Figs. 5, 6, and 12, which represent a single-leaf door and adoor-frame in one piece)are hung, as usual, in hinges to the door-frame;but-instead of fixing the latter by hinges they are preferably providedwith rollers M, running on rails N, so that the whole of the frame withthe door may slide laterally on said rails.

To the frame is fixed one end of a spiral spring R, or weighted cord,which tends to draw the frame on one side. ever,is maintained in itsnormal posit-ion by means of a catch S, consisting of a plate the end ofwhich is bent upward and which is fixed to a bolt J, which hasnorecessj. This catch interlocks with another catch it, the end of whichis bent downward and which is fixed to the door-frame. -The bolt J inthis case is completed and actuated in the following manner: Above thebolt'J and in the same vertical line is arranged another bolt J, similarto J but considerably heavier. This bolt J engages with the catch S ofthe bolt J by means of the rod T, and thus holds the bolt J in position.hen the end of the horizontal bolt K is withdrawn from the recess j ofthe bolt J, the latter will fall onto the bolt J and disengage by theforce of the fall the catch S from the catch to, which had prevented theframe from following the impulse of the spiral spring or weight. Thisframe will then slide on the rails IT and will remain flat against thewall without obstructing the passage of the public in the least.

The latter, l1ow-' Fig. 0 represents the frame with the door in itsnormal position, the position when opened being indicated in dottedlines.

Figs. 7 and 8 represent the invention applied to folding doors of thebox of a theater, the frame of which is constructed in two parts. Eachpart of the frame is provided with a catch S, interlocking with a catchS, described farther on, and springs R, similar to the one representedin Fig. 5, tend to draw the two parts of the frame apart from eachother. The bolts are similar to those represented in Fig. 5, with theonly difference that the catch S of the bolt J has both ends turned up,so that when the bolt J is lifted each end will engage with one of thecatches S of the frame. hen the horizontal bolt K is withdrawn from therecess j of the bolt J, the latter will fall upon the bolt J, and theforce of the fall will lower the bolt J and disengage the catches S S,when the parts of the frame with one leaf of the door each will be drawnaside, one to the right and one to the left, and remain flat against thewall.

\Vhile I have illustrated in the drawings but one form of device foractuating from a distance the catch by which the movable frame is heldagainstmovement, still I wish to be understood as not limiting myinvention to use in connection with such single actuating mechanism, asin place thereof I mayemploy an y of the now well-known forms ofmechanism for operating bolts, catches, and the like from a distance.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my saidinvention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare thatwhat I claim isl. The combination of a door, a movable frame in whichthe door is mounted, a catch moved by gravity to release the said frame.but held to lock the said frame to the casing or wall in which it ismounted, and a bolt which engages with the said catch to hold it in itslocking position, substantially as decatch J, moved by gravity and whichlooks the said frame, and a sliding bolt K, which engages with the saidcatch and holds it in its lockingposition,substantiallyas described.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

VICTOR MEI-IAY.

Witnesses:

ADOLF STEIN, GEORGE BEDE.

